Pensions Lobby Update

Thank you for your work on the pensions campaign so far. The
collective action taken on 30 June was fantastic Reports from around the union, from school after
school, showed that many teachers stepped forward to become school reps; and
many thousands of teachers joined the NUT to take part in the action.

The action put the Government on the defensive and exposed
its arguments to close scrutiny. The argument that teachers’ pensions are
‘unaffordable’ was comprehensively undermined. Opinion polls showed that our
action won widespread public support for our campaign.

In recent weeks, the Government has reiterated its claim
that it is taking talks with us seriously and that there is genuine room for
negotiation. However, there is no evidence to support this claim. It is clear we need to maintain, and
escalate, the pressure on the Government this term.

Next steps

Building on the momentum from 30
June we have launched a mass petition and joint union lobby of Parliament on
Wednesday 26 October. We have two key objectives:

Mass petition: every workplace to sign and
return the petition

Lobby of Parliament: every school to send a
representative

We are delighted that we will be
working with six other teaching unions in England
and Wales
(ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NASUWT, UCAC, UCU) to achieve this. We want this lobby to
involve thousands of teachers from up and down the country, and we want as many
schools as possible represented. Our aim
is to have at least one teacher from each school in attendance.

We are aware that, for the vast
majority of members, the lobby will take place during half term. This date was
chosen after discussions with our sister unions. In the few areas which are not
on half term on 26 October, all of the unions are advising their members that
lobbying of MPs should be constituency based and take place outside of school
time.

This mass lobby has several aims. Firstly, we want to put
pressure on individual MPs. Secondly, we also want this to be a publically
visible demonstration of our continued anger and resolve. To this end, we
intend to hold a march and rally on the day too. Thirdly, we want to
demonstrate to the Government that our approach is reasonable by not
immediately taking further action which would be disruptive to education.

Of course the lobby doesn’t preclude further strike action
this term. Indeed if the Government
doesn’t negotiate in good faith, strike action is probable in November.
This is especially true given that the EIS, NAHT, NASUWT and UCAC are currently
or will be balloting their members for industrial action. The lobby is
therefore an important tactic in our overall strategy and in building for any
future action which we hope would include our sister unions.

This lobby will take a high level of organisation. Below we
set out some practical steps we would like you and colleagues to take in your
school.

Action steps:

Remember you should always look to involve as many members
as possible in this campaign. By acting together we are more effective.

·Work with staff in your
school or college to organise and attend a meeting between 12 and 23 September
to select at least one representative
for the lobby.

We want everyone to see the lobby as a collective action, so
holding a meeting to allow teaching staff from all unions to discuss who should
go will be very important.There are no
restrictions on how many people from each school can attend the lobby, so it is
fine if more than one person wants to attend, although you will need to bear in
mind how to cover travel expenses.

You should also aim to set up an organising committee that
can help carry out the practical tasks outlined below.

Talk to your head teacher

All heads are being sent
a letter from the General Secretaries of the seven unions alerting them to the
lobby and asking for their support.

You, along with reps from
sister unions in your school, should talk to your head teacher about the lobby.
Remember all leadership unions are supporting this lobby and your head should
help facilitate this. Travel costs will need to be met by all teachers in the
school.

Register lobbyist details

Once it has been decided
who will be attending the lobby they should, as a matter of urgency, register
their details on the joint union microsite www.decentpensions.org.uk

Ask your lobbyist to email their MP for an
appointment

Lobbyists should also
email their MP to request an appointment for the day of the lobby.There is an email your MP facility on the joint
union microsite. www.decentpensions.org.uk

Get all teachers to sign the petition

All teachers should be asked to sign
the petition which was enclosed in last week’s mailing.Your head teacher has been sent a copy of the
petition and further copies can be downloaded from the joint microsite www.decentpensions.org.uk

This petition should be posted in
advance of the lobby (preferably by 7 October) to Freepost RSSS-GEJE-ATAX, Central Mailing Services, PO Box 16246, Birmingham
B11 9FQ.In addition a copy should be taken by the
lobbyist to hand in to your school’s constituency MP on 26 October. If your
school is unable to send someone to the lobby, it is still important that
teachers sign the petition and return it to their Division Secretary who will
ask another lobbyist to deliver it.

Further details of arrangements on the day of
the lobby will follow.

Action points overview:

·Organise a joint union meeting for all teaching staff by 23September if possible. Use template flyer available on www.decentpensions.org.ukto publicise the meeting.

·At the meeting, decide who will represent the school at the
lobby.

·If possible set up an informal committee to help carry out
necessary tasks.

·Discuss, with your head teacher and colleagues, how money
should be collected to cover travel expenses.